I'm an Aussie presently living in London. This blog normally consists of my random thoughts on a variety of subjects, ranging from politics to telecommunications technology, movies cricket, urban design, beer, cheese, and whatever else comes into my head.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Kutaisi airport public transport information.

Kutaisi airport in Georgia is a new airport, with relatively few flights at present. However, due to Wizzair's direct flight from Kiev, it is now the cheapest location to arrive in if you are coming to the Caucasus from Europe. It is not easy to find out information about local transport to and from the airport, so I hereby place this information on the internet, hopefully to help other people.

The simplest way into Kutaisi is simply to get a taxi. A fare of about 25 Georgian Lari (£10, $15) seems to be the going rate. Whether locals get a cheaper price and/or taxi drivers will try to get away with charging you more if they can remains to be seen. On the other hand, the distance is about 20km, so this isn't particularly unreasonable.

When I arrived on January 28, there were two public minibuses (marshrutkas) waiting outside the terminal, one going to Batumi (2 hours away) and the other going to Tbilisi (four hours away). I don't know if such services go after every flight, but they are likely useful. Of course, they also likely go in the other direction, but when and where they depart from in Tbilisi and Batumi is not information I was able to find out, even with the help of a Georgian in Tbilisi. (as the Tbilisi bus goes in the direction of Kutaisi, it is likely possible to ask the driver to take you to Kutaisi for a few Lari, but I suspect that this depends on how full the bus is).

However, the key piece of information is this.

Kutaisi airport is on the main highway in Georgia (Georgian Highway number 1, European route E60), in the sense that you walk out of the terminal and past the car park, and the exit to the carpark turns straight onto the highway. Locally, this is the road from Kutaisi to Samtredia. (The airport is actually closer to Samtredia). To get into Kutaisi, you should stay on the same side of the highway as the airport terminal, and flag down the next marshrutka going in that direction.To get from Kutaisi to the airport, you should get the minibus to Samtredia, and ask the driver to let you off at the airport.

This should be simple, once you know this. (To get from the airport to Samtredia, cross the road and flag down a marshrutka going in the opposite direction. There is a bus shelter at which to wait).
Similarly, to get to Kutaisi airport from Tbilisi, you should get a bus to Samtredia and ask the driver to let you off at Kutaisi airport. (Getting on the bus to Poti likely works, too). Coming from the coast, get on the bus to Kutaisi, and ask the driver to let you off at the airport. In a pinch, get off at Samtredia, as this is much closer to the airport and going all the way to Kutaisi will involve 20km of backtracking.

When I was there in January 2013, there were no money changing facilities or ATMs at the airport. As the airport was brand new and still being finished at the time, this might be rectified soon. If not, this is unlikely to be a problem if the service you are boarding terminates at wherever you are going, as there are many money changers and ATMs in all Georgian towns, and getting a little money to pay the driver at the end of the route is feasible. If you are getting off in the middle of a route, this might be a little more problematic, and there is something to be said for having a few small denomination euros or dollars handy. (Good advice anywhere). If none of this works, appealing to the kindness of strangers is also likely to work. Georgians are very warm and hospitable people to visitors, and are likely to be sympathetic.

Update (19/2/13): I see that Wizzair have just announced that they are increasing the Kiev route to daily, as well as adding flights from Kutaisi to Warsaw, Donetsk and Kharkiv. That Warsaw flight is going to make it even easier for those of us trying to get to the Caucasus from Europe. Hopefully, the increased traffic will also encourage the owners of the airport to, say, install an ATM.

Further Update (11/11/13): I went to Kutaisi airport again in late October. There is now a company (GeorgianBus) providing timetabled bus services to and from Tbilisi and Batumi to meet every flight at Kutaisi airport. They have a desk at the airport that sells tickets and accepts credit cards, tickets can be bought in advance online, and I highly recommend them. I also saw a local Kutaisi city bus (number 777) arrive in the carpark at the airport and leave while I was there. I suspect that this means that there is also now a timetabled bus service to Kutaisi, but I cannot vouch for this 100%. The airport now also contains a Tourist Information Desk that also changes money, cafe/bars both before and after security, and a kiosk selling Georgian mobile phone SIMs. Two things lacking are an ATM and a duty free shop, but there still appears to be some work going on on the airport terminal. Basically, though, this airport now has most of the regular facilities found in airports. There is no particular need for special preparations any more.

There's plenty of cheap accommodation in Kutaisi. This is easy enough to book on booking sites like booking.com or hostelworld.com.

However, in Kutaisi (and most other Georgian towns) most cheap accommodation is not listed on the internet. This usually takes the form of guest houses, which vary from people renting a room in their homes to what are essentially small and simple hotels. If you show up in Kutaisi (or other Georgian towns) and simply look for signs saying "Guest House", you will almost certainly be fine, too.

I'd like to thank you for posting the only reliable information about this that I could find.

I thought I'd let you know that you can now change money when you arrive at a white desk just inside the door. The rates were not posted and I didn't see an ATM.

There are now several buses outside the terminal going to Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi. When I flew out there was one with a sign for Mestia but departure didn't seem imminent. I paid 10 USD to go to Batumi.

Yes, I went again in May, on the flight from Warsaw which arrived mid morning. There was a bus to Mestia on that occasion, too. This was very convenient to me, as this was where I was headed and I had thought I would have to make my way to Zugdidi and proceed to Mestia the next morning. This saved me a day. The bus stopped for a break at Zugdidi (where there are plenty of banks, money changers, and ATMs), and there is also one ATM in Mestia, so the money situation was solved easily enough.

I'm curious about the bus that you took to Mestia - where and when did it depart, and do you know if it runs regularly? My boyfriend and I will go to Kutaisi in a month with the Warsaw connection arriving at 11.10. It would just be so much better to go straight to Mestia without having to take the marshrutka to Zugdidi and spend the night there, as I thought we would need to do.

The bus I got to Mestia was the bus from Tbilisi to Mestia. I got off the plane, walked to the main road, and the bus was waiting. I got on, and it departed shortly afterwards. Most of the other people on the bus were Poles. I suspect that they had also just arrived on the flight from Warsaw, but I am not 100% sure of that. Whether the bus always stops and waits for the flight from Warsaw, I do not know. Whether such buses meet flights from other destinations, once again I don't know.

I think there is a good chance of it, though. If there is a market for it and money to be made, someone is going to put on a minibus. The locals are still adapting to the influx of foreigners coming through the airport. One can't rely on the bus being there, but walk out, look in the car park, then look at the bus stop on the other side of the main road. One cannot rely on the bus being there, but there is a fair chance it will be.

I think one can rely on their being buses to Tbilisi and Batumi, however.

Hello Michael: Do you have information about parking a car at the Kutaisi airport? You mentioned a car park and I'm curious to know if it was safe/affordable. Any information you have would be appreciated.Dave

Happy that i landed here on your blog what if i ask you to share something about car parking services at Gatwick such as Gatwick meet and greet . Interesting thing about your blog is that you actually write what comes into your mind. Cheers.

Some extra information how to get from Kutaisi city center to airport for budget travelers. I came with minibus (marshrutka) from Tbilisi Didube bus station to Kutaisi(12 lari). Bus can let you out in Chavchavadze avenue bus station near McDonald's or drop you in the city center. If you step out near McDonald's, go to the back yard of McDonald's and you will see a bus station. Ask for marshrutka to Samtretia and say that you need to step out near airport(2 lari). p.s.: Ride with marshrutka parked near the street (10-5 lari), taxi (20 lari).

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